Throughout history, art was a platform for people to express themselves away from the constraints of language. Graffiti art, in particular, was an outlet for the impoverished, the marginalized, and the oppressed, to voice out their concerns away from governmental restrictions and decorum. Under Hosni Mubarak’s regime, the Egyptian people went through a number of traumatic experiences that marginalized their humanity and altered their consciousness as a whole. Police’s excessive use of force, imprisonment of opposition leaders, electoral fraud, limited freedom of speech, excruciating destitution, and rise of sexual harassment, were some of the events that impinged the Egyptian consciousness. These constant infringements on their basic rights by the state, however, helped provoke a sense of collective identity among the people. First observed in January 25th Revolution, this shared identity was also palpable in the emerging graffiti art at the time. After the revolution, graffiti became more prevalent among Egyptian walls and mirrored the alterations in the political scene. With Mubarak’s downfall, the volatility of the political stage and the rise of political partisanship were directly reflected in the changing themes of Egyptian graffiti. Revolutionary Period [2011-2012] The astounding success of…
Graffiti and Political Polarization in Egypt: From Optimism to Silence
April 18, 2015
